life

Chapter 2011: New Challenges & Realizations

by Travis Ketchum · 6 comments

It is that time of year where most people in the world decide to make a  new years resolution, generally in an almost off the cuff way such as “I would like to be in better shape”, or “I would like to quit smoking”. The problem with this is that they are often fleeting internal half-truths that 99% people know they can’t (or don’t REALLY REALLY want to) follow through with. The problem with this is that most of us think of these resolutions in the way of “it would be nice if (I could stop smoking)” instead of the more realistic and motivating “If I don’t (stop smoking) this year I am going to die”.

For me new years is a very reflective time since my birthday falls on December 30th (New Years Eve, Eve) and it offers up an opportunity to really take a step back and see where my current trajectory is headed in life, and see if that parallels with the core values I have for myself and with what I want to accomplish before I am buried 6ft under. That may be a somewhat dark way to look at it but the reality is that we are only here for a blink of an eye and it is incredibly important to me that the day I am no longer here that people’s lives have been affected in a positive way due to things I have set in motion.

Year-End Checkup

So now that the year 2010 is officially behind us, what do I currently have going on in my life that were significant and/or have just started that are going to change my life in dramatic ways?

Graduated from WSU, moved to Seattle

The first major lifestyle change in my life this past year was graduating from Washington State University, this marks the first time I have been at a point where I really don’t know if I will ever be in a traditional school setting again as a student. WSU certainly delivered a rounded “college experience” and for anyone who has gone to school there, we will all bleed a little Crimson for the rest of our lives. It simply can not be helped.

Moving to Seattle was also somewhat abrupt but has been a great experience so far. I live in a nice building that is safe and reasonably located to my priorities. While the move to Seattle specifically was for the job at Apex Learning (more on that in a second), it has been an extremely beneficial experience in general.

Apex Learning – http://apexlearning.com

In October I was hired at Apex for my first “real job” on paper after getting my degree. Apex builds, sells and supports digital curriculum for 9-12th grade institutions. My position with this is officially titled an “Associate Account Manager” but has proven to be a beneficial asset in terms of getting some quality time with SalesForce.com (and even breaking it for 20 minutes hehe) and to work in a return sales capacity. While this isn’t extremely correlated to what I want to do career wise, they make a good product, provide a good service and both the company as well as myself benefit from the relationship by making a difference.

(40 hours/week)

MyBigGive – http://mybiggive.com

The age old “hobby” of mine has rolled over it’s 1 year mark, which shortly there after called for a major face-lift, back-end overhaul and doing as much revenue for charity within 3 weeks as it had done in the preceding 365 days. I feel like we finally have a grip on what customers are looking to get out of a platform like this and are busily building out the feature set (at a much faster rate than before) and are in talks with some pretty huge partners that I think you are going to enjoy hearing about if they come to fruition.

(20 hours/week)

Free SEO Report – http://freeSEOreport.com

This is a particularly exciting (and incredibly recent) opportunity that I have been included in on. Ironically I wrote a review of this service about a week ago as part of a contest to win an iPad but was hired the next day for business development instead (who says blogging can’t pay?!). I have been brought on for business development and to work closely with the properties owners Shoemoney Media Group, primarily with Jeremy Schoemaker and Tigh Buckles. I am very excited about the possibilities with this property and seeing what spending as many hours as I can with this talented team to shake things up in the Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  arena.

(20 hours/week)

The College Startup – http://thecollegestartup.com

Here is an area I admit I haven’t paid nearly enough attention to, and that as a lot to do with the major changes above. I have put some time and money into trying to make TCS easier to read and while my content has been sparse I hope at least a few of you found it useful. If any of you can think of things you would to see from this blog in the future (more regular posts for instance?) please feel free to let me know in the comments, and if you are interested in doing a guest post please just e-mail me at contact [at] mybiggive [dot] com

(5 hours/week)

Total 2011 weekly work hour projection: 85 hours/week

Personal Life

I haven’t blended my personal life into this blog very many times because it has been primarily for people interested in what kind of shenanigans I am getting into business wise and my thoughts in general about high-level business trends. However, with this many projects in the fire I wanted to address it really quickly.

As cliche as it is, I would really like to get into better physical condition. This doesn’t mean I am looking to run a marathon (even at my peak, I have never wanted to run more than I have to). However, I would like to return to about 3 years ago composition wise. I have been reading Tim Ferris’s new book during the holidays and I am quite intrigued by his methods. I will be reporting back on the results if they are anything worth noting. Having physical health is a direct correlation to mental health, and with the kind of schedule I plan on having for 2011 that is going to be more important now than ever.

What can you reflect on about 2010 as we land feet first into 2011?

Moving to Seattle

by Travis Ketchum · 4 comments

I have been missing in action for the last few weeks because my life has been a whirl wind and if any of you are following me on Twitter you are already aware that I have been busily moving from the Skagit Valley area down to Seattle and started a new position with Apex Learning. This new position, while certainly adding a lot more to my plate will not be taking away from my key focal points with projects online and I completely plan on delivering content and services for all of you guys!

Apex Learning

Some of you may be wondering, “Who the heck is Apex Learning?”. Apex Learning (in a nut shell) offers a suite of digital curriculum for grades 9-12. They are in a hyper-growth stage and have been on a hiring spree to manage the growth, which in my opinion can lead to the most interesting culture within a company.

Apex was originally founded by Paul Allen and had their first “real” funding come from Vulcan (a Paul Allen VC firm). The company has had a sorted past trying to find it’s footing within the industry and figuring out how the secondary education market works from a business perspective. While they are a digital/technology based company, make sure you don’t call them a technology company. In the words of management, “Apex is an education company that uses technology as a mode of transportation.” This distinction is interesting because it highlights the type of culture that the company employs to define who they are with their audience, educational institutions.

Why the move?

I was at a point in my life that called for a change, and a graduation of sorts in responsibility. Now that I am done with Washington State University and have been expanding my network, I was looking to throw myself into a larger base of people that share my interests and skill sets. Working with Apex Learning helps me accomplish my geographical goals, stabilize personal revenues (still not taking a paycheck from a number of my projects to reinvest as much as possible into growing them as an asset), network with like minded people, and to better understand corporate structure.

Sorry I have been gone so long, I hope to be back to a regular schedule asap!

Freedom: What does it mean for you?

by Travis Ketchum · 0 comments

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Now that I no longer have the burden (or joy actually) of school, as well as moving away from my job I have had the time and resources to really buckle down and spend my time online with my many ambitions. The really amazing thing with this though, has been that while I had always been spending a few hours each day on these web based initiatives, having the time to really put it all together has shown exponential returns. I am not telling you this to brag, or even to tip you off on the things I have been working on ;) BUT, I bring this up instead to try and understand what the definition of “freedom” means to you?

Most people say that they want the stay at home job, but it is a TON of work and I think that most people are actually a little bit afraid at what this type of perceived success might do for them. To me, the notion of freedom is having the ability to spend time with your friends, family and be able to purchase enough quality in your life to be satisfied (which to every person means something different). I have had the wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with some pretty amazing elderly people recently and when I talk to them they all have the same type of response. When I ask them what they would they change in life it is always something along the lines of “I have everything.”

This heart warming response has been because of their relationships in family and with friends. Having everything has NEVER had to do with the amount of money in their bank account, the car they drove when they were 20, 30, or even 50. It was the 60 years of marriage, the many kids they have had, the wonderful friends who have shared their lives with them.

So with this I ask, what does freedom mean to you?

Hustle or the 9 to 5?

by Travis Ketchum

Wanted to give a shout out to my entrepreneurs out there, and ask everyone (including the 9 to 5ers) what makes you get up and get excited about life in the morning? Life is too short to hate what you do.